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Have you ever wondered what sort of things go through the mind of a naturalist? No doubt it varies from person to person, as all such things do, so I can only tell you for sure the things that often have me entranced as I try to puzzle them out. Here is a "for instance."

A couple days ago, while leading a school program, one of our volunteers found this fluffy white mass on the back of a dried leaf that had fallen from one of the trees along our path. Now, I knew it was an egg or pupa case, and I knew I had seen it before, but I could not recall what species it belonged to or any details of its life history.

When we got back to the visitor center, and while the students took their lunch break, I grabbed my copy of "Tracks and Signs of Insects" by Eiseman and Charney, and searched for the answer I was sure was in there. No luck.

And yet I KNOW I had seen (and identified) it before.

My go-to site for all insect ID is the terrific website BugGuide.Net. If you haven't been there yet, you must do so soon. These folks are terrific: you send them a photo of some mystery insect or insect part, and often within a couple hours you have an answer as to what it is.

So, off I sent my photo, and sure enough, the answer soon came back: Braconid Wasp, subfamily Microgastrinae.

My work had only just begun.

This morning I have been scouring my insect books and the Web in search of details about this small ball of fluff. Eggs? Pupae? Life cycle? And while some information is quite readily available, much (to me) still remains a mystery.

For example:

There are about 2000 described species in the subfamily Microgastrinae. Scientists suspect there are 5-10,000 species possible; that is a lot of unknowns.

The Microgastrinae are a subfamily of the Brachonid wasps, which are the second largest family of wasps in the world (right after the Ichneumonids, just in case you were wondering). Over 17,000 species of Brachonids are recognized today, but again, it is believed there are thousands more that we know little to nothing about.

Brachonids are parasitic wasps. In general, they lay their eggs on the host (in the case of the Microgastrinae, the hosts are the caterpillars of moths and butterflies), the eggs hatch, consume the host, pupate, and then the adults fly off to continue the cycle.

If you have ever seen a tomato hornworm in your garden that is covered with small white ovals all over its back, you are seeing the pupal cases of a Microgastrinae. The larvae ate the caterpillar's "blood" (hemolymph) and internal organs, then tunneled out of its dying body to spin silky cocoons on this back. This is a good thing for you and your tomatoes - not so good for the caterpillar.

Anyway, this was all familiar territory for me -- I have seen many a hornworm covered with cocoons, and plenty more photos of other species of caterpillars similarly parasitized. But the fluffy mass that is currently sitting on my desk has no (apparent) caterpillar host associated with it. Why?

I continue to search the Web, but even BugGuide has let me down - there are photos a-plenty, but mostly all it says about them is "Brochonid Wasp - Microgastrinae" - no life histories.

The best I can come up with at this time is that this is a collection of Microgastrinae pupae (and if I teased apart the mass I would surely find all the little oval pupal cases), and perhaps the desiccated husk of the host caterpillar has fallen away, since by now its purpose is fulfilled and it is obsolete.

Knowing me, however, I shall continue to puzzle about this until one day I have found THE answer.

Good Morning! This is Ellen, the new educator at Severson Dells, and I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself a little.

I am very excited to join SDNC and look forward to learning not only about SDNC, but also about this part of the country...and getting to know all of you.

I know new staff are an unknown quantity, so let me tell you a bit about myself, where I come from, and what my interests are.

I grew up in a small town central New York, so when I say I am from NY, please don't think I'm from NYC (which most people tend to do). I am a rural girl at heart. My family spent time in the woods hiking and picnicking; we spent summer evenings paddling on the lake and summer days learning to fish there; we had an organic vegetable garden (when "organic" was a new concept and not the trend it is today). In my spare time, I was often outside, turning cartwheels in the lawn, climbing the aspen out back, or even exploring the pasture down the hill.

I attended SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where I received my BS in Resource Management and Environmental & Forest Biology. Seven years later I returned to get my MS in Environmental & Forest Biology, concentrating in Environmental Interpretation. My master's work dealt with the relocation of house bat colonies.

I have worked as a naturalist or environmental educator in one form or another most of my career. I started off at a great nature center right out of college, which is where I discovered that being a naturalist was exactly what I wanted to do. From there I worked in NJ, NY and VT before landing my dream job in the Adirondack Mountains of northern NY. I was there for over ten years when the economy tanked and our facility was closed, all staff laid off. It was a hard time, but I landed on my feet in south central Michigan, working at a small non-profit environmental education center. After six years, I found myself laid off once more due to financial difficulties. Which I how I come to find myself in Illinois!

Over the years I have worked with birds of prey and zoo animals, led paddling, camping and ski trips, told stories around campfires, bushwacked swamps and bogs, taught hundreds of school children (thousands?), harvested hay, created exhibits, and have written more blogs and articles than I can remember. I have been a quilter, a tracker, a photographer (I love macro, often stalking insects and wildflowers), an animal trainer, and a gardener (I used to grow all the veg I ate every year). I have played with the SCA (those folks who recreate the middle ages), I have been an archer, and I have studied the medicinal uses of plants. These days my focus is more toward reconnecting people of all ages with the outdoors, often going back to basics and using primitive skills or building fairy houses as the catch. I have also developed a passion for habitat restoration, and I love fire. Did I mention that I also make drums?

As you can see, I am a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. I dabble because I find it all so very interesting, and just as I really get into something, SQIURREL! There is always something new to learn and explore.

So, stop by and say hello! I look forward to meeting you all and sharing ideas.

Severson Dells Nature Center

Our Mission: To link people to nature through education and research, in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area. We promote awareness of the natural world, fostering respect, enjoyment, and preservation now and in the future.